Review: Rare Singles
Gaby Meares
This is nothing like Cuddy! Benjamin Myers sure can mix it up!
The title, Rare Singles, references those ‘one hit wonders’ of days gone by, when music was released on vinyl. Earlon ‘Bucky’ Bronco is doing it tough since his wife has died. He’s hooked on opioids, and his days revolve around the anticipation of ’the golden hour’ when he takes his next dose of pills. When he’s invited to perform his very own one hit wonder at a music festival in Scarborough (England, that is) he thinks he may as well - what’s he got to lose?
Dinah is his minder, born and bred in Scarborough. She’s trapped by a loveless marriage, and soul music is her way of escaping the drudgery of her life. The hotel where Bucky stays is used as a metaphor for the state of the country: ‘It’s not what is once was. It’s just about held together by memories of past glories. That would be a good motto for half the towns up here actually. Or maybe just England in general. It’s not what it once way. Or perhaps, managed decline. Maybe its great past was just an illusion all along.’ By the way, the hotel is very real, and has had a recent make-over, according to their website, so could well be worth a visit if you’re in the neighbourhood!
Bucky’s struggle with addiction and withdrawal is visceral, and if ever anyone thought opioid addiction was ’not that bad’, this book will set them straight.
I’m not familiar with most of the artists and songs referred to, and I think this book will resonate more with those familiar with Northern Soul.
The friendship that develops between these two characters challenges them both, causing them to re-evaluate their lives. It’s feel-good, but not in a schmaltzy way.